A WITLESS run out, yet another of the umpiring errors that have proliferated this season and, finally, torrential rain that ended play 51.4 overs ahead of schedule checked the West Indies’ advance on the third day of the first Test yesterday.
The run out ended Wavell Hinds’ fourth Test hundred, an outstanding 113, and his audacious third wicket partnership of 174 with captain Brian Lara that had initally stunned the Sri Lankans and their spin wizard, Muttiah Muralitheran, on the previous afternoon.
The flawed decision, against Ramnaresh Sarwan, soon followed and once more revealed as ludricrous the International Cricket Council’s refusal to extend the use of available television technology to aid fallible umpires.
Sarwan was just establishing himself at 262 for three, after Hinds was left stranded by Lara’s refusal of a palpable single to mid-on, when he pulled a rare long-hop from Muralitheran onto Kumar Sangakkara’s ankle at short-leg.
As the ball rebounded to be caught by Marvan Atapattu at mid-wicket, the Sri Lankans claimed the catch that standing umpire Billy Bowden, the flambouyant New Zealander, allowed after consultation with his Australian colleague, Daryl Harper.
Within seconds of Bowden’s confirmation of the decision, television replays were showing to viewers worldwide that the ball clearly pitched into the turf as much six inches before striking Sangakkara.
But Bowden, under the ICC’s regulations, had no recourse to Billy Doctrove, his colleague monitoring the replays in a booth in the media centre.
The ICC had written all the umpires on its international panel as recently as June 9 reiterating the decisions for which the television umpire can and, “for sake of clarity”, cannot be consulted.
On catches, they were reminded they can only rule on whether they have been cleanly taken, not whether the ball has hit the bat or is a bump ball, as in Sarwan’s case. So the mistake had to stand.
It should never have come to that.
Bowden’s action indicated that he was uncertain of what happened and there was no way Harper, standing even further away at point, could have been any less so.
Only Sarwan, wicket-keeper Romesh Kaluwitherana, Mahela Jayawardene at slip and Thilan Samaraweera were close enough to be certain and it would be naive in this day and age to expect anything but the excited appealing that came from the Sri Lankans.
By then , the skies were closing in and, quarter-hour after Marlon Samuels’ arrival, they were opening up, transforming the outfield into a small lake with an hour and disappointing a Sunday crowd of around 8,000, by far the best of the match.
The West Indian tactics of Saturday afternoon, when Hinds and Lara swept Muralitheran to distraction to put on 95 from 100 balls, predictably prompted a Sri Lankan rethink overnight.
On resumption, Muralitheran pointedly altered his line and his loop to eliminate the shot that had been so productive.
But Hinds greeted his first ball of the day with a sweetly timed, cover-driven boundary and he and Lara continued to propel the score with strokes in other directions and eager running between the wickets.
Such urgency demands precise judgment and requires some risk. Twice it might have brought Hinds’ demise.
He escaped on a run out at 80 when Atapattu missed the stumps with his throw from mid-on as they scurried a sharp single and, six runs later, offered a straight-forward chance off Chaminda Vaas on a drive to the big fast bowler Prabath Nissanka at mid-off.
There was an element of luck as well as he passed his fourth Test hundred with a top-edged sweep over the keeper for his sixth four. But there were a few more hearty drives and a couple of delicate late cuts from Lara as the pair maintained their dominance.
Then came his misunderstanding that ended his overall stay of just over three and a half hours batting during which he hit four sixes, all Saturday afternoon, and eight fours from 143 balls.
Hinds pushed towards mid-on and took off for the run as a matter of course. Inexplicably, Lara kept his ground and Hinds had no chance of regaining his before Atapattu atoned for his earlier miss with an accurate return to the ‘keeper.
As Hinds headed off in disappointment, Lara bowed his head for the tall Jamaican’s had played the lead role in the partnership.
After that, the captain seemed distracted. His momentum deserted him and he found difficulty countering the accurate leg-spin of Kashul Lokaurachchi.
His 50 - the sixth time he has passed the mark in five Tests for the season - required 87 balls. The further 41 before the rains set in took 107 balls. But, conscious of his vital role in building a worthwhile lead, he kept on going.
Sarwan was also becalmed as the pair eeked out a partnership of 22 from 15.5 overs before his unfortunate dismissal.
As Marlon Samuels joined Lara, the innings was at the crossroads when the rain arrived just before 1.30.